MSC merges with Department of Earth and Environmental Systems

The College of Science is happy to announce the merging of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Marine Science Center (MSC).

Northeastern University’s Board of Trustees recently approved the move – making the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences the new home department for MSC and related faculty members. (Marine Science and related faculty will retain partial appointments in the Department of Biology.)

The new composition of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department will provide the combination of strengths necessary to produce significant advancements for Northeastern’s university-wide emphasis on environmental sustainability.

With the Department’s new focus on Urban Coastal Sustainability, the College of Science plans to build on the MSC to create a global center that will address the mounting troubles facing coastal cities, including sea level rise, collapsing fisheries, invasive species, pollution and security.

As part of this initiative, the College of Science has hired an expert in fisheries biology, Jon Grabowski, and introduced a new undergraduate major in marine biology.

MSC Director Geoff Trussell has been named interim chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and will help the College move this transition forward.

”We are all very excited by this opportunity and the great potential it creates.  In addition to strengthening current strategic initiatives in Urban Coastal Sustainability, this merger will better position us to further develop existing and new interdisciplinary initiatives in environmental science and policy.”

Students will not be impacted by this transition, but if there are any questions or concerns, please contact the College of Science academic advisors. (http://www.northeastern.edu/cos/undergraduate/about.html)